For AAA Northeast, community involvement is part of the culture. Employees are encouraged to volunteer — and do so often — in support of local charitable organizations that help important causes, such as the environment, food insecurity and local families in need.
And because we love meeting and engaging with our members, there are often projects that get members involved as well.
Uniting AAA Employees and Members
In 2024, AAA Northeast ran four successful community service campaigns: Earth Month, AAA Road to Hunger Relief, Trunk or Treat events and a new initiative called Lend a Hand for the Holidays.
“We wanted to be part of events that allowed us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder volunteering with our members in giving back to the community,” said Rhode Island District Branch Manager, Thomas Ryan, who oversees the Branch Operations Member Engagement Committee. “Our member engagement events are a great way for us to bring our involvement with nonprofit organizations to members who also want to give back but need help finding how.”
Putting Hunger in its Place
The hunger relief campaign alone included more than 20 events. Instead of putting out food collection boxes at branches, this time AAA volunteers joined members of the community and local organizations outside supermarkets to ask shoppers for food and filled car trunks.
“When we put out boxes for food donations at a branch, maybe we’d collect 20 or 30 items,” said Maggie McMenemy, a branch manager in Webster, Mass., who leads the member engagement group with Ryan. “But standing outside a grocery store, we collected 330.”
Volunteers also spent more time stocking shelves at food pantries and cooking and serving meals at community kitchens. Altogether, AAA Road to Hunger Relief was able to feed more than 923 families and collect more than 2,700 pounds of food, with the assistance of 41 members.
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Through the Lend a Hand for the Holidays campaign, volunteers in Rhode Island, about 43% of which were members, helped collect toys and package and serve holiday meals for families in need.
In Connecticut, Thanksgiving meals were collected and served and 1,472 gifts delivered with help from 42 members.
At My Brother’s Keeper in Easton and Dartmouth, Mass., AAA partnered with community members to deliver Thanksgiving meals and buy and wrap holiday gifts. “After the event, a member told me that they has such as great time that they wanted to do it again,” said Theresa Barry, associate marketing specialist. “This is exactly what we are looking to do — get repeat volunteers!”
Building Bridges
Last year also was a success when it came to building connections for the future. AAA members collected names and contact information from community groups and individuals to involve them in future campaigns.
“Helping and serving is a way of life here,” added Shannon Reyes, a branch manager in Warwick, RI., who helps with events. “It is one of the things that I really love about working for AAA.”
Cleanups, Food Drives and More
Some of the most popular charitable activities in our communities occur annually, including Earth Month cleanups in April.
Making a Difference
“I love to serve our community and know that my contributions are helping someone else and encourage all of us to take some time to give back,” said Tamara Thornton, a branch manager in the Smithfield, R.I., branch. “I like being able to play a role in making a difference in the community.”
More local events dot the calendar year-round. AAA branches host blood drives, days for planting vegetable and flower gardens for nursing homes and other care facilities, and gatherings to pack meals to distribute at local food pantries. Other employee charitable efforts include joining the Southern New England Heart Walk, creating cards for Sending Smiles and sorting donations for the Dorcas International Clothing Collaborative, to name a few.
“I really enjoy the smaller settings where we get to make a bigger impact,” Reyes said. “I feel that the AAA branch teams do an amazing job of finding those opportunities and bringing as many employees and members as possible along with us to support these organizations.”
Dozens of in-house projects are always on tap at offices in the Northeast, including making blankets for veterans, sending cards to senior citizens, planting flowers at community buildings, packing diapers and helping to harvest crops for food banks.
“When we can get out and volunteer, we show those that live in the community that AAA cares,” said Reyes. “We want to make our communities a better place to live, work and enjoy.”
We’d love to see you at our next community event! Find AAA community service events in your area.
We are always looking for new local charities and organizations to support. Do you have a favorite? Please share your suggestions in the comments.
Featured image: AAA employees and members at a cleanup event in Norwalk, Conn.
This article has been updated and republished from a previous version.
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